Loose-leaf binder



1,472,301 A. J. KQEPSELL LoosE LEAF BINDER Filed Nov, 18, 1922 2Sheets-Sheet 2 mi] Q Sv K @Ich 30, 1923.

Patented @et 3U, ll923 LOOSE-LEAF BINDER.

.Application filed November 18, 1922. Serial No. 601,753.

To all whom t may concern."-

Be it known that I, AUGUsT J. KonrsnLL, a citizen of the United States,residin at Mayville7 in the county of Dodge and tate of Wisconsin, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Loose-Leaf Binders, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings.

This invention relates to binders for loose leaves, and particularly tothose binders in which the loose leaves are engaged by rings.

Loose leaf binders are made up in a large variety of styles and therings are disposed different distances apart and as a consequence theleaves which are punched to suit one binder or one set of rings will notfit notebooks or the like having rings arranged for other punchings. Asa consequence, it is necessary to secure paper-'which is punched in acertain manner for any particular binder and this is sometimes dillicultto achieve. Loose leaf notebooks are used in schools to a very'largeextent to-day and this difficulty in readily securing paper which hasbeen punched to lit any particular type of binder is a veXation.

The object of this invention is to provide a binding device of thischaracter in which the rings for engaging the paper are adjustabletoward or from each other so that any paper may be used with anyparticular binder, thus doing away with the necessity Vof carrying manydifferent types of cut leaves punched to suit many different styles ofbinders. y

A further object is to provide a device of this character in which therings are adjustable toward or from each other and in which the ringsmay be held in their adjusted positions. Y

A still further object is to provide abinder in which the spaces betweenthe ends of the ,split rings may be close-d by merely turning anoperating shaft which will act to close all of the rings or open all ofthe rings.

Another object is to provide a device of this character which may beadapted to carry any number of rings, which is relatively simple, rnaybe cheaply made, and which will be thoroughly effective in actualpractice.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accornpanying drawings, whereinFigure l is a top plan view of my device applied to the cover of anotebook;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the back of thenotebook and my mechanism Figure 3 is a section on the line 3--3 ofFigure 2 with thenotebook cover omitted;

Figure 4l is a perspective view of the upper plate;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the lower plate;

Figure 6 is a section on the line 6 6 of Figure l; Y

Figure 7 is a section on the line 7 7 of Figure 1. r

Referring to these drawings, 10 designates a base plate which isrelatively long and relatively narrow and has apertures at its endswhereby rivets 11 may be used to attach the base plate to the cover 12of the book. This base plate 10 is provided on opposite edges with theupwardly extending flanges 13. This base plate 10 is made of thin sheetmetal. Y

Resting upon the base plate 10 is a .longitudinally extending upperplate 14 which for the greater portion of its length is narrower thanthe plate 13 but at its middle has a width approximately equal to thatof the strip or base plate 10 as at 15. which enlarged portion 15 isformed with the downwardly extending flanges 16 which are adapted to litinside of the flanges 13. This enlarged portion 15 is formed with acentrally disposedn unstanding screw 17, and on each side of this screwwith rectangular' apertures 18. The extremities of the plate 14. arealso enlarged at 19. This portion at its end is downwardly turned andthen lon- `gitudinally extended at 2() to form a foot riveted to thestrip 10 by the rivets 11. The portions 19 are closed at their sides byflanges 2l. and the downwardly extending wall 22 is apcrtured at 23 toforni a bearing.

Disposed to rest upon the base plate T10 are a plurality of slides 24.each slide having a width' approximately equal to the distance betweenthe flanges 16 and being guided by these flanges and having alongitudinally extending shank 25 which is offset with relation to thecenter line of the corresponding slide 24. Certain of these slides Ell votherwise.

l ing plate 27 which rests upon the upper face of the portion'l of plate14 and which has downward projectionsA 28 which pass through theapertures 18 and which rest upon the Shanks 25. This plate 27 isapertured at its center to receive the upstanding screw 17 and a nut 29engages this screwthreaded post or bolt and, of course, bears upon thebinding plate 27. Thus as the nut is turned down, the projections 28will bear against the Shanks 25 and lock these Shanks againstlongitudinal shifting movementbetween the flanges 13 and with relationto each other. When theset nut 29 is turned off, however, it is obviousthat these slides 24 may be shifted by hand to any desired i v positionand then again locked.

Each of the tubular rings 26 has a gap in its upper portion and disposedwithin'each' tubularring is a slidable section 30, arcuate in form,housed within the ring and adapted, when shifted. in one direction, toclose the gap between the ends of the ring and form .a continuationthereof and, when shifted in the other direction, to open this gap. Thispermits the insertion of the paper in the ring, and the` closing of thering through the perforation in the paper.

For the purpose of operating all of these members 30 simultaneously, Imount in the vapertures 23 the operating shaft 31, this shaft havingreduced portions 32 which fit in the bearings23.. Between thesereducedportions the shaft is provided with a longitudinallyextended'eylindrical toothed gear 33. The inner faces of the rings 26are cut away at 34 and this toothed portion 33'ts in this cut-awayportion 34 and engages with teeth 35 formed upon each member 30.Therefore, it is obvious that as the shaft 3l Vis rotated in onedirection the members 30 will be Drojected to close the gap in all ofthe rings and upon the rotationV of the shaft 31 in the oppositedirection the members'30 will be retracted to open the gap in the rings.This member 31 has a shank 36 provided with a head whereby the shaft maybe rotated. Preferably this head 37 is pivoted at 38 to the shaft sothat the head maybe turned into a position at right' angles to theAshaft or into alignment with the shaft.

This head or handle Yis to be thrown back into angular relation to theshaft when not in use. The elongated teeth 33 will obviythere' are threeslides on each end of the'device, will come beneath and be bound by theprojections 28 of the binding plate 27. By taking hold of any particularring, however, it is obviousthat that particular slide, provided the nut29 has been turned olf, may,

be shifted to any desired position. Then when the nut is turned down, itis obvious that the projections 28 will bind on all three of the Shanks,or as many Shanks as there may be on one side of the device, andhold`all of the rings on that side from longitudinal movement. Then afterthe rings have been adjusted longitudinally so as to bring` these ringsto the proper position to engage the holes punched in the note paper,the shaft may be rotatedto project all of the members 30 of the severalrings so that these members will be forced through the holes in the`paper and the leaves'will be bound by' the rings. Gf course, when thehandle 37 is turnerL into angular relation it bearsV against the @overof the back and t-he shaft 31 cannot be further turned until the handleis drawn out into alignment with the* shaft.

yIt will be seen that the adjustabilityrof the rings on my device doesaway Vwith the ne- -cessity of a stationer carrying'many differentkinds'of paper just for'the purpose of being able to supply the demandfor paper suited to many different kinds `of covers.

lThe device may be verysimply and cheaply made and at the same time may'be thoroughly substantial. Obviously many changes might be made in thedetails of construction and arrangement of parts without de arting fromthe spirit of the invention as de ned in the appended claims.

I claim f V l. In a loose leaf binder, a base, a plurality of `slidesmounted upon the `base for longitudinal movement, each slide carrying aring, each slide having a shank, and means for engaging all of saidShanks the rings in adjusted position.

2. In a looseleaf binder, a base, slides mounted on each sideof themiddle of the base, each slide being longitudinally adjustable, theseveral slides having longitudinally extending Shanks, theshanks on eachside of the base extending toward the middle of the base and overlappingthe Shanks of the slides on the other side of thegbase, and means at themiddle of the base for engagfor holding-y ing bot-h sets of shanks forlocking the slides in their adjusted position.

3. ln a loose leaf binder, a base, slides mounted on each side of themiddle of the base, each slide being longitudinally adjustable, theseveral slides having longitudinally extending Shanks, the Shanks oneach side 0f the base extending toward the middle of the base andoverlapping the shanks of `the slides on the other side of the base,means at the middle of the base for engaging both sets of shanks forlocking the slides in their adjusted position, said means comprising abinding plate having downward projections, a bolt passing through thebinding plate, and a nut on the bolt engaging the binding plate.

e. A. loose leaf binder of the character described comprising a. baseplate, an upper plate mounted upon the base plate and having an upwardlyextending screw-threaded post at its middle, a plurality of slidesmounted upon the base plate on each side of the middle of the plate,each slide carrying rings extending downward between the top plate andthe base plate and each slide having shanks extending to and beyond themiddle of the base plate, the top plate having lateral aperturesdisposed above said Shanks, a binding plate mounted upon the cover plateand having downward projections extending through said apertures andbearing upon the shanks of the slides, and a nut engaging said post andadapted to engage the binding plate.

5. in a loose leaf binder, a base, a series of tubular split ringsmounted on the base, a member disposed within each ring and movablecircumferentially therein and when projected closing the gap in Saidring and when retracted opening the gap in said ring, and common meansfor shifting all of said members simultaneously in one direction or theother including a longitudinally extending shaft having gear `teeth 'Ruttherein and adapted to engage and mesh with the teeth on said members,said shaft at one end having handle pivoted to the shaft for movementinto axial alignment therewith to thereby permitl the rotation of thesame but adapted to be turned at right angles thereto and into lockingengagement with the base to lock the shaft from rotation.

G. ln a loose leaf binder, two series 0f rings disposed 0n oppositesides of the middle'of the binder, each ring being adj ustable toward orfrom the middle of the binder, each ring` being tubular and split andopen at one point, a eiroumferentially movable member disposed wit-hineach ring and adapted to be projected or retracted to close Vor disclosethe opening therein, means for locking the rings in longitudinallyshifted positions with relation to each other, and common means for allof said ring portions for projecting or retracting said members.

7. ln a loose leaf binder, abase plate, a top plate carried upon butspaced from the base plate, a plurality of slides mounted upon the baseplate and movable toward or from each other and the middle of the baseplate,

Y each slide having a shank extending beyond the middle of the baseplate, means on tho top plate for locking said slides in adjustedposition, a longitudinally extending shaft operatively mounted betweenthe base plate and top plate and having longitudinally extending gearteeth, a series of tubular ring portions each mounted upon one of saidslides and extending in a. plane at righ-t angles to the shaft andhaving a gap on its inner face through which the teeth of the shaftproject and having a gap at its upper portion, a member disposed withineach ring portion and projeotible to elose the gap in the ring orret-ractib-le into the ring, each member having gear teeth engageable bythe gear teeth on the shaft, means for rotating the shaft, and means forlocking the shaft in rot-ated position.

8. In a loose leaf binder, a base plate, a .top plate carried upon butspaced from the base plate, a plurality of slides mounted upon the baseplate and movable toward or from eaeh other and the middle of the baseplate, each slide having a shank extending beyond the middle of the baseplate, means on the top plate for locking said slides in adjustedposition, a longitudinally extending shaft operatively mounted betweenthe base plate and top plate and having longitudinally extending gearteeth, a series of tubular ring portions each mounted upon one of saidslides and extending in a plane at right angles to the shaft and havingan opening on its inner face through which the teeth of the shaftproject and having a gap in its upper portion, a member disposed. withineaeh ring portion and projeetible to Close the gap in the ring orretractible into the ring, each member having gear teeth engageable bythe gear teeth on the shaft, and means for operating the shaftcomprising a handle adapted to be disposed in axial alignment with theshaft to there-by rotate the same but pivoted to the shaft to be turnedat right angles thereto to thereby loc-k the shaft from rotation.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

AUGUST J. KQEPSELL.

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